Abstract :
[en] Canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (CIPF) is a progressive parenchymal lung disease
of unknown origin, mainly described in old-aged West Highland white terriers (WHWTs). It is
characterized by exercise intolerance, cough and dyspnoea/tachypnea with a progressive
deterioration until death from respiratory insufficiency. CIPF shares clinical features with
human idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), while tomodensitometric and histopathological
findings do not appear to be exactly the same. Over the past 10 years, several studies have been
performed to improve our knowledge about CIPF. However, this disease is still misunderstood
and clinicians are dealing with several challenges including the absence of clinical or biological
markers for estimating the presence, severity or progression of the disease and related comorbidities
such as pulmonary hypertension, the absence of etiologic agent, and the absence of
targeted therapy. Consequently, the aims of the present project were (1) to investigate whether
high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the lungs obtained under sedation can be
used for the diagnosis and for the follow-up of the disease, (2) to study a new echocardiographic
parameter for the diagnosis of precapillary pulmonary hypertension induced by CIPF, (3) to
study the potential roles of 2 chemokines of interest, CCL2 and CXCL8, as biomarkers of
fibrosis and as actors in the pathogenesis of the disease, (4) to determine breed variation of
basal blood concentrations of the same chemokines, vascular endothelial growth factor
(VEGF), and serotonin, and (5) to search for the presence of herpesvirus as a possible etiologic
agent.
